The Bluff City Board of Mayor and Aldermen on the evening of the meeting approved first-reading budget amendments to repair a 2011 Ford F-250 assigned to public works and to purchase a replacement gate and operator for the public works facility.

City staff said the F-250 is currently inoperable and unsafe to drive and that the truck is the vehicle outfitted as the town’s salt truck, with no backup available for winter road treatment. The ordinance to amend the fiscal-year appropriation for the repair was presented as ordinance 2024-010 in the meeting packet; the board moved and approved the ordinance on a voice vote. The transcript records the repair amount in the ordinance as $6,600 and states that the truck’s condition made it unsafe to operate.

The director of public works presented two written quotes for the gate replacement and recommended the quote that included a new gate post, electrical work and a warranty. According to the director, the lower quote from Call Commercial Fencing was listed at $7,979 and “did not include a new gate post or hinges” or electrical work; the director said the second vendor’s quote included a new 17-foot gate, a 3-inch gate post and electrical locks, and came with a operator warranty and a two-year labor guarantee. The ordinance for the gate replacement was presented as ordinance 2024-011, shown in the meeting materials as a $9,200 appropriation to purchase a replacement gate and operator because the existing opener and keypad are “in really bad disrepair.”

“...the damage that is on it is pretty severe to the point where it is not safe to drive right now,” the director of public works said of the F-250. The director also said, “this is also the vehicle that is outfitted in our salt truck, and we do not have a backup to the salt truck.”

A board member moved to approve the vehicle-repair ordinance and a second was recorded as Vice Mayor Adams; the transcript records that the motion passed. The gate-replacement ordinance was opened for discussion, staff recommended the option that includes new posts and electrical work, and the transcript logs that motion passing as well. The board set a special meeting for the second readings of ordinances discussed that evening.

Citizens who spoke during public comment urged caution about spending on very old vehicles. One commenter noted the repaired truck is a 2011 model and urged staff to consider replacement alternatives rather than investing in a high-cost repair on an older chassis. The board did not adopt any additional limitations or contingencies on the repairs during the meeting.

The board indicated both items would return for a second reading at a special meeting; staff were directed to bring final vendor/repair details and any applicable warranties for the record.